The persistence of ritualized hopes and beliefs expressed visually on Karen bronze drums is presented through an extended analysis of the motifs on the tympani of 370 drums. Numerical, configurational, and cultural arguments are supported by copious tables and illustrations.

The persistence of ritualized hopes and beliefs expressed visually on Karen bronze drums is presented through an extended analysis of the motifs on the tympani of 370 drums. Numerical, configurational, and cultural arguments are supported by copious tables and illustrations.

"The Karen People of Burma: A Study in Anthropology and Ethnology" describes the history, geography, and traditions of the Karen, a group of Indo-Chinese tribes living principally in Burma. The author of this book, Reverend Harry Ignatius Marshall, who worked as a missionary in the American Baptist Foreign Mission Society, prepared an excellent and comprehensive review. Its historical value is still topical in our times.

While scholars have long documented the migration of people in ancient and medieval times, they have paid less attention to those who traveled across borders with some regularity. This study of early transnational relations explores the routine interaction of people across the boundaries of empires, tribal confederacies, kingdoms, and city-states, paying particular attention to the role of long-distance trade along the Silk Road and maritime trade routes. It examines the obstacles voyagers faced, including limited travel and communication capabilities, relatively poor geographical knowledge, and the dangers of a fragmented and shifting political landscape, and offers profiles of better-known transnational elites such as the Hellenic scholar Herodotus and the Venetian merchant Marco Polo, as well lesser known servants, merchants, and sailors. By revealing the important political, economic, and cultural role cross-border trade and travel played in ancient society, this work demonstrates that transnationalism is not unique to modern times. Instructors considering this book for use in a course may request an examination copy here.

The author examines how the Burmese state has sought to control the country's forest activities, and the ways in which groups relying on the forest for their livelihood (loggers, transnational corporations, cultivators, peasants) have fought such control.

Percussion instruments may be our oldest musical instruments, but only recently have they become the subject of extensive scientific study. This book focuses on how percussion instruments vibrate and produce sound and how these sounds are perceived by listeners.

Despite the world-wide association of music and dance with religion, this is the first full-length study of the subject from a global perspective. The work consists of 3,816 references divided among 37 chapters. It covers tribal, regional, and global religions and such subjects as shamanism, liturgical dance, healing, and the relationship of music, mathematics, and mysticism. The referenced materials display such diverse approaches as analysis of music and dance, description of context, direct experience, observation, and speculation. The references address topics from such disciplines as sociology, anthropology, history, linguistics, musicology, ethnomusicology, theology, medicine, semiotics, and computer technology. Chapter 1 consists of general references to religious music and dance. The remaining 36 chapters are organized according to major geographical areas. Most chapters begin with general reference works and bibliographies, then continue with topics specific to the region or religion. This book will be of use to anyone with an interest in music, dance, religion, or culture.